As the Snow Falls
by ZAFT Prime
Summary: On the outskirts of Neotopia, a mech's deepest secret is revealed. The snow tells of how the mech was finally able to move on, and how he began anew...


*Peeps out from hiding* This fic is a request by Lady Shockbox. I don't want any flames, as this is my first attempt at a slash fic. Just read and let me know what you think. *Hides again*

* * *

As the Snow Falls

Zapper Zaku studied the white powder that fell from the clouds above him, not caring if anyone noticed his disappearance from the _Magna Musai_. It was very rare that he got to leave the ship for any reason, so why say anything anyway? One of the reasons he left to be by himself was because he needed to get away from the business of the Dark Axis…and Grappler Gouf's annoying attitude towards him.

No one knew that he often left the ship when he had his free time. So it was natural that he came to Neotopia for some alone time. But with the Gundams around…it would seem unusual if they saw him alone. Zapper scoffed. As if they would know anything about him…

The maroon squad leader could not help but wonder if it was unusual for the white powder to be falling from the sky of Neotopia, even though he knew the answer. Still, the sight before him seemed peaceful, something that made his processor reel from confusion. How could something seem so peaceful when it wasn't?

Of course, the answer avoided him. Zapper looked around, trying to take in the reason as to why the city was so peaceful at this particular time of the stellar cycle. He grunted once, realizing that wondering would only make him tenser. That was not something he wanted, especially since he had come to get away from the Dark Axis for a few cycles, if not longer…

As the white condensation fell, Zapper felt his systems begin to power down in order to keep his power core going. He shivered, his hands flying to the sides of his arms. How did the Gundams and humans handle this type of weather? The maroon squad leader did not want to know.

His onboard radar then acted up, alerting Zapper Zaku to someone being in the area with him. Zapper's hands flew to his machine guns, wondering if the Gundams and their little human pet had found him. If they had, how could he fight them off and escape? He had no back-up, and he was just one mech…

"Well, never thought I would find _you_ here, Zapper…" the smooth voice purred as the owner came out of the shadows. Zapper Zaku felt his fuel pump skip as the cobalt mech came out from the trees.

He coughed to hide the discomfort he was feeling. "Shut up, Grappler…"

Grappler Gouf grunted as he looked up at the sky. The white powder falling did not seem to bother him in the slightest. "I was looking for you back on the ship. Of course, I did not realize that you actually _left_ the _Magna Musai_." He said, his optic not wavering.

Zapper scoffed as he looked away from the cobalt squad leader. "Yeah, well…I just need some time to be by myself, you know?" he muttered.

His comrade just chuckled at the reply. "I never expected _you_ to be the one to want some alone time. I mean, the way you act around the Zakos made me think that you would never want to be by yourself." Grappler sneered as he looked at Zapper.

Zapper whirled, his optic flaring, but he managed to hold his anger in check. "So? What is it to you? _You_ never seem to want to be around others, so why come after me about my decisions?" he snarled.

Grappler just chuckled again before a white object flitted by his optic's vision. The teal and cobalt mech looked up again, the powder landing on his form slightly. Zapper noted that the cold weather did not seem to bother the younger squad leader, as he was not shaking like he was.

"How can you stand the colder conditions?" the maroon mech asked. Grappler just shrugged. "My body is just more adapted to the colder climates I guess. Never thought about it really."

Zapper huffed, trying to ignore Grappler. "Why did you want to find me anyway?" he growled.

A grunt came from his teal counterpart. "As I said, I was looking for you and you weren't on the ship." Grappler replied. "But why come here?"

Zapper snorted once before speaking. "None of your business, gearhead." He snarled back.

Grappler's optic flared with anger at the insult. "What did you call me?" the cobalt squad leader growled.

His older maroon comrade whirled around, anger now present in his optic. "I said, _none of your business!_" Zapper shouted as he ran at Grappler.

The maroon warrior then tackled Grappler Gouf into the white powder that was on the ground, throwing up a cloud of it. The action caught Grappler off-guard, but he retained his composure as he wriggled one of his hands free.

A punch to the chest made Zapper Zaku move off of him as the older mech tried to regain his balance from the unexpected reaction.

"Why did you do that?" Grappler snarled as he got to his feet. The cobalt colonel's chest was heaving as he tried to get air into his intakes.

Zapper just glared at him, unwavering in his resolve. "It is not for you to know…" he replied, a menacing growl in his voice. This, Grappler found, disturbed him greatly, and he did not know why.

The light blue mech cocked his head in a questioning manner, something that he rarely did. He also found that he _cared_ as to whether Zapper was alright or not, something that bothered him in many ways.

"Just tell me. You can't keep things to yourself for long…" Grappler muttered as he remembered his past, something he could not ignore.

Zapper growled, but his hands did not go for his weapons. "And why should I?"

Grappler grunted, trying to hide his newfound discomfort. "Just forget it…" the cobalt mech said as he waved his clawed hand in a dismissive manner.

This seemed to only anger Zapper further, but he did not act on it.

Grappler glanced at Zapper out of the corner of his optic and noted Zapper's form shiver once. "Not used to the cold?"

"Oh, shut up!"

The cobalt squadron leader could not help but feel concerned for Zapper's well-being for a moment. He shook his head to try and get the thoughts out of his processor, but they refused to leave.

Why was he feeling like this? Grappler hated it, yet he could not ignore it.

Zapper shuddered again, making Grappler worry that he was beginning to suffer from hypothermia. Statistics came to his mind, yet he shoved them back into his processor's depths. As if he needed to know those stats…

Inside though, Grappler was worried about Zapper's well-being. "Zapper, you need to get back to the ship. If you stay here much longer, your body will shut down."

The older mech just huffed once. "I'm not returning." He grunted.

Grappler Gouf felt his claws twitch out of surprise. "What? Why?"

The answer he received was a punch to the mouthpiece. Grappler fell into the white powdered condensation again, throwing up yet another cloud of it. "Just leave me alone!" Zapper snarled.

His teal and cobalt counterpart sat up, anger visible in his optic. "No way! Not until you tell me what's going on!" Grappler snapped back.

The maroon warrior grunted as he looked away from Grappler. White frozen condensation fell around the two, settling on the ground. "Back off, Grappler…Just…back off…" Zapper whispered.

Confusion made its way into the younger squad leader's processor as he stood back up behind Zapper Zaku. "Not until you tell me what is going on here." The cobalt warrior replied.

Zapper did not move. In fact, Grappler had to wonder if he was still even _breathing_ he was so still. For a brief moment, there was silence. Then, the older mech finally moved, but not in the way that Grappler had been expecting.

He whirled around and managed to hit the younger colonel in the chest with his foot, making Grappler gasp to take air into his intakes. The teal and cobalt squad leader fell onto his side, struggling to breathe. His unclawed hand flew to his chest where he had been hit, probing the dent in his chest armor.

Grappler could faintly hear Zapper speaking to him over the throbbing pain his sensors were registering. But as to what it was, he could not tell.

The sound of footsteps told the younger squad leader that either Zapper was leaving again, or walking towards him. He could not tell which though, as it hurt to move.

A hand reached down and pulled him to his feet while holding onto his chest. Zapper's optic flared with anger as Grappler focused his own optic on the older warrior. "You leave me alone…and I will not hurt you…" the maroon mech snarled.

Grappler gasped a few times as Zapper spoke, trying to get precious air into his systems so he himself could speak. "Why…are you…acting…like…this…" he rasped between breaths. Now the cobalt mech was worried and concerned. Zapper Zaku _never_ acted like this…

Zapper growled, but did not answer. Silence reigned as the maroon squad leader held onto Grappler tightly, but then his grip loosened and the cobalt warrior felt his feet touch the cold ground.

In one quick movement, Zapper Zaku turned away and proceeded to walk off until he was at least fifteen feet away from Grappler Gouf.

"I…lost someone close to me…" Zapper murmured as his head lowered. Grappler stared, confused as to who he meant.

"You mean Neon?" the younger warrior questioned. Surely he meant that young Zako, didn't he?

Zapper's form shuddered again in response. It did not appear to be related to the cold weather either, Grappler realized.

The maroon warrior refused to make optic contact with him, making Grappler wonder if the way he was acting had to do with something else. But what was it?

"It…is not him…" Zapper whispered as he clenched his fists.

His cobalt comrade was now getting irritated with the way he was acting. "Then what is it that is bothering you? Or are you just acting mopy because you want to?" Grappler snarled as he took a few steps forward.

Zapper snapped his head towards Grappler, optic flashing with anger towards him. "You don't understand _anything_ about me!" he snapped back.

This caught Grappler off-guard, making him stop in his tracks. The cobalt colonel could only stare in amazement as Zapper then lowered his head again, only he was shaking this time. And it was not from just the cold…

Zapper had never expected that he would tell Grappler, a mech who was sort of a rival as well as an ally, about his deepest secret, one that not even his commander was aware of. He thought about telling the younger mech about it, but then decided against it. Still, tears threatened to fall from his optic as the pains of his past were finally remembered once again.

"…" Grappler could only wonder what was going on with the older warrior, but then he reeled at the sight of Zapper shaking even more so. He realized that it was not a reaction to the cold, as it would be much more violent than that. It was…crying…

The teal and cobalt squadron leader approached Zapper with caution, but that soon faded when he realized the other mech was trying to stop himself from breaking down.

Grappler felt himself move, reaching his arms up and wrapping them around the older warrior's shoulders and holding him close. He found that he was not inclined to move away at all.

Zapper then let out a sob as his resolve broke into countless little pieces. "How could that happen? Why did she have to die?" The maroon warrior sobbed. Grappler could not speak, but instead held Zapper comfortingly. "I…"

The maroon squad leader could not help himself. "Those mechs…how could they let her fall like that? Why did they not help her?" Zapper cried. Grappler then had a thought as he held Zapper in a reassuring manner.

Was this incident the reason he was acting like this? It had to be…

Grappler then pulled away and held Zapper's shoulders firmly. "Zapper…look at me…" he ordered.

The older mech did so, wiping the tears from his optic, no doubt trying to regain some of his dignity…

"What happened that was so bad?" Grappler asked.

"…" Zapper was silent before he punched Grappler in the face again. Grappler staggered back, frustrated with Zapper.

"I don't want to say…" he growled, turning away. Grappler, now angered, ran at Zapper and tackled him from behind. The maroon mech yelped as he fell into the white powder on the ground again.

"You dummy! I'm trying to help you!" Grappler snarled from his perch on top of Zapper's back. Zapper Zaku struggled as he tried to throw Grappler off of him.

The older mech was now determined to get up, but Grappler was not about to let him do so. "Just stop trying to hide it from me. You already know what happened with me when I was a medic, and I know what happened with Neon when you became a squad leader. What else could be bothering you?"

Zapper just shook underneath Grappler's form. "I…Just shut up!" he snarled as he then threw the younger mech off of him.

Grappler landed on his feet, now furious with Zapper Zaku. "Why won't you tell me?" he snarled.

The maroon mech growled, the pain showing in his optic. "Why should you care? The higher ups _never_ cared for the Zakos, so why should you care? You're a squad leader!" he snapped back.

Grappler felt his processor reel with this information. What was it that was bothering Zapper so much? What…?

The younger squad leader then realized Zapper's pain was connected to something else from his past, something much deeper as well…

"Zapper…what happened…uh…well…what I mean is…" Grappler found himself unable to speak, something that rarely happened.

"Just shut up…" Zapper murmured, once again facing away from Grappler Gouf.

Now Grappler had had enough. He ran at his older counterpart and tackled him to the ground again, this time both of them being sent rolling from the impact.

Zapper grunted as he wound up on his back with Grappler on top of him. "What is it to you?" he snarled.

Grappler reared back, his claws now just three blurs of silver. Zapper hissed as he felt the pain from three gashes on his left cheek. "I have had it, Zapper! The way you are acting is not like you! What gives you the idea that I am not worried, huh?" he snapped.

The maroon warrior stared in shock as Grappler's chest rose and fell with his panting. "I follow you here to try and bring you back to the ship, and this is how you are acting? Are you trying to kill yourself or something?" the cobalt warrior snarled.

"…" Zapper was at a loss for words. He did not know how to respond for a few moments, but when he did, it was in a way that Grappler had not been expecting.

"…No…" he murmured softly, making Grappler's optic flare with anger and confusion.

The younger mech just huffed once. "Then why are you acting like this?" he asked.

"…" Zapper was silent for a few minutes before he finally spoke. "I…lost my mate…when I was a Zako…" he replied as he looked away.

It then became clear to Grappler. He was completely speechless as Zapper spoke up again. "I lost her today…many steller cycles ago…" he murmured.

Grappler finally found the courage to speak after a few minutes. "Is…that why you're so caring towards the Zakos?" he inquired.

A meek nod from Zapper was the confirmation he needed. "Back when I was on another Musai as a Zako, I found my future mate. She and I never bonded though… But…a few cycles afterwards…she was blown off of a ledge by a Gundam's weapons. I pleaded with the squad leaders to save her…but they never did…and…I'm sure you can guess what happened…" Zapper said, not making optic contact with Grappler.

"So…that's why, huh?" Grappler mused.

"Yeah…that's it…" Zapper finished.

A tap on the side of his helmet made Zapper look up, only to make optic contact with Grappler. The maroon mech felt his fuel pump skip again. Grappler moved in closer, the white condensation falling around the two.

Zapper could feel Grappler's warm breath on his body. It seemed to make his own body temperature rise. Then, in the spur of the moment, Zapper pressed his mouthpiece to Grappler's. The cobalt mech made a slight squeak, but he did not pull away.

The younger squad leader ran his hands up Zapper's broad shoulders, making the maroon warrior shudder. Warm air caressed the older mech's vents, just as his own arms wrapped around Grappler's body. The white powder fell around the two, never disturbed, yet never the same.

Grappler then pulled away, making Zapper gasp for air. The maroon mech looked questioningly at Grappler before a weak smile made its way to his vented mouthpiece.

His younger comrade made a weak smile of his own. "Better?" he asked.

Zapper nodded. "Yes…" he replied.

Grappler then stood up as Zapper did the same. "Come on. Let's get back before the Commander blasts us again." The cobalt mech said.

The white powder still fell when the Gundams arrived at the scene of the Gate's appearance. The snow left signs of a struggle, yet also the signs of a new beginning…


End file.
